Course Description

Instructor: Pam Noud

Come explore these 5 nations of Southeast Asia: Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. This course is a Geography–based slide show: You will “tour� these 5 countries by viewing maps & photographs. In photos, experience some of Thailand’s festivals, such as Songkran with its spirited water fights and Yi Peng with its elegant sky lanterns. Then marvel at the innumerable pagodas of the ancient city of Bagan in Myanmar, the mysterious Plain of Jars in Laos, the vast temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and the legendary tunnels built by Communist forces under the jungle terrain of Vietnam. On maps, locate the Malay Peninsula, the Thai island of Phuket, the Gulf of Tonkin, and the Bridge on the River Kwai. Also, navigate both the Irrawaddy River and the Mekong River from their respective headwaters down to their extensive deltas. Along the way, relive the tumult of those 8 years 1965--73 of the U.S. fighting against North Vietnam, and learn other Geography and History basics, such as: Which countries constituted French Indochina 1887--1954? What, and when, and where, was the Khmer Rouge? Which city was known as Saigon until 1976? Which city was known as Rangoon until 1989? Tour these 2 cities (Ho Chi Minh City, Yangon) and others, such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Mandalay, Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Phnom Penh, and Hanoi. And learn about foods like tom kha gai (Thai coconut soup), lahpet (Burmese pickled tea leaves), and goi cuon (Vietnamese spring rolls). A set of optional home-study handouts will be available for purchase of $30. Class Dates: July 9th, July 16th, July 23rd, July 30th, Aug 6th.